Branching Out: Books for Fans of Horrible Histories

A Mummy Ate My Homework is full of interesting facts woven into a fun, action-packed time travel story set in Ancient Egypt. The book is heavily illustrated in an engaging mix of styles – including comic strips, maps and full-page spreads. Every page is a delight to turn for curious minds, with anticipation of what you might encounter next!

The book is a winning combination for reluctant readers and those who enjoy fact-finding in a story. Bonus activities at the end include hieroglyphic codes to crack. Being A5, it’s also a nice size to hold. Fans of other illustrated chapter books, like Pugs of the Frozen North by Sarah McIntyre and Philip Reeve, will love this. Ideal for Y3 onwards.

The Secret Diary of Kitty Cask: Smuggler’s Daughter is set in 18th-century Cornwall. It’s an exciting, action-packed adventure told in diary form. Kitty and her family live in a small fishing village. Her father is the head of a gang of smugglers who are trying to keep their contraband and illegal activities hidden from the excisemen. Kitty is supposed to stay safely at home but she regularly creeps out at night to watch her father and his men at work. Very soon she gets caught up in the action. There’s a shipwreck, secret caves, betrayal and a prison break.

I enjoyed how the book is a mixture of fact and fiction. The characters and settings are fictional but the book is packed with interesting factual detail – much of which is included in the footnotes. The Secret Diary of Kitty Cask is highly entertaining historical fiction for a young audience; it really brings a place, a time and a way of life alive for its readers.

Published in collaboration with The British Museum, this children’s information book offers a humorous and informative introduction to daily life in Ancient Rome and has a high appeal to readers in KS2.

Through words and pictures, the book compares modern-day life for children to different aspects of daily life for the Ancient Romans, including clothes and hairstyles, education, family life, pets, food and hobbies. The book sets itself apart from the myriad of other non-fiction texts about the Romans as each topic is viewed through the eyes of a child. Did you know, for example, that emperor Elagabalus was a cheeky prankster who was known to feed his dinner guests food made of wax? If you think that your school has too many rules, wait until you read about the vow that new students at gladiator school had to make. And the next time you begin to think that your bedroom is too small, spare a thought for Roman slaves, who often had to sleep in the doorway to their master’s bedroom.

This is the third in the ‘So You Think You’ve Got it Bad’ series, with the other titles focusing on Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece. This is the kind of non-fiction series that makes the information visual, presenting facts through speech bubbles, diagrams and bright cartoon-style illustrations as well as accessible chunks of text.

This is the kind of book that helps young readers to move beyond hard facts and begin to reflect on what life might have felt like for those living in ancient times.

This exciting story from Tony Bradman is a popular choice in KS2 classrooms and is set just before the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Follow the story of young Magnus and his adventure-packed journey to the Battle of Hastings, as he is forced to contend with vicious family feuds and merciless claims to the throne.

Full of excitement, danger and all the gore of the period, this is an action-packed novel brimming with historical details.

This gripping novel is part of a historical fiction series that provides plenty of background information about life in Ancient Roman times.

The plot of The Thieves of Ostia centres around a young girl called Flavia who investigates the mystery of who is killing the dogs in the Roman port of Ostia.

This is a popular choice for KS2 classrooms and is part of the well-loved Roman Mysteries series.

This well-researched and highly readable historical fiction book takes its title from the name of the medal that honours the Arctic Convoys during World War II and in recognition of the particularly harsh conditions they endured.

Tom Palmer has taken facts gathered from the Imperial War Museum, among other sources, to compose a gripping fictional story about three teenage Royal Navy recruits from Plymouth: Frank, Stephen and Joseph. Their resilience, fortitude and courage shine as brightly as the Arctic (North) Star against the surrounding darkness. Their very survival, both physical and mental, is threatened by constant attacks from German U-boats, submarines, planes and, most terrifying of all, the German battleship known as the Scharnhorst – not to mention freezing conditions, fierce storms, shattered dreams and rocky relationships. The life-and-death struggle is played out until the very last page.

This book, with its concluding Author’s Note together with the accompanying online teaching notes available from Tom Palmer’s website, provides an exciting and informative classroom resource for the teaching of WWII as a curriculum topic, besides being a book many children will choose for the sheer enjoyment of reading. A thoroughly recommended read, just like Tom Palmer’s other well-researched and highly readable novels.

An absolute hit with pupils who love the biological side of science, plus a good dose of history!

This funny non-fiction compendium of knowledge explores the history of human medicine from Egyptian mummification and strange Tudor remedies to modern medical marvels.

Authored by doctor-turned-author Adam Kay, this comprehensive guide digs deep into the weird and wonderful ways that people have attempted to diagnose, cure and treat the human body through time.

Funny and informative – a sure hit!

This engaging book is a fun hybrid between graphic novel, activity book and information text. The story, told in graphic novel form, follows a group of friends who travel back in time and explore Ancient Egypt. At various different points in the story there are relevant puzzles, fact boxes, activities and project ideas. This book has a high visual appeal and is a great addition to your library of Egyptian topic books.